Joseph Friedman: Pushing Through in Order to Help Others
May 29, 2019
Psychology student Joseph Friedman.
As they prepare for the next stages of their lives, members of the Brooklyn College Class of 2019 share their thoughts on some of the most pertinent issues facing the world today. For more on this year’s commencement, visit our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Use the #BCGrad2019 hashtag to join the conversation.
A fluke forever changed Joseph K. Friedman's life nearly 20 years ago when he was rollerblading to the library. A driver ran a red light, hit Friedman, and ended up dragging him for a half a mile. Two men—one a bystander who witnessed the whole thing, the other, a cop who responded to the incident—went above and beyond to save the teenager.
"They are men I look up to since that day," says Friedman, who was in a coma for three weeks and then had to relearn much of what he knew. "I would not be here, alive and completing my degree at Brooklyn College, were it not for these two amazing people. It made me want to go on to help others, just because human life to me is the most important thing on the planet."
Friedman, a psychology major and the first in his family to graduate from college, says that it's been a long road to commencement for him, but when times got tough, he would often remember the two strangers who saved him. Because of them, he wants to work in crisis management, saving people around the world during times of disaster or emergency.
He says his courses at Brooklyn College have been enlightening, from the history of Africa class he took to the many psychology courses that have made him realize how much suffering there is in the world. He's also very appreciative that Brooklyn College has taught him much more than book smarts.
"From the very first class I took at Brooklyn College, I remember walking in and meeting all different types of people. By the end I had more friends then I knew what to do with," he says. "We all headed to the cafeteria for a snack. Imagine this table of 30 people from all different places in the world, laughing and shouting and having fun....It’s a great example of what we as a people should be."
